


Thermostat

by dontneedaclassroom



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Comfort, Gen, Hospitals, Hugs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-10
Updated: 2012-02-10
Packaged: 2017-10-30 22:12:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/336707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontneedaclassroom/pseuds/dontneedaclassroom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a mission puts Kono in ICU, Steve monitors Danny's temperature.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thermostat

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sheafrotherdon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sheafrotherdon/gifts).



> Originally written for sheafrotherdon's [Steve Hugs Danny Fest](http://sheafrotherdon.dreamwidth.org/582278.html?thread=28411270#cmt28411270).

Steve always knows where Danny is. Despite what he tells people, it's not just because Danny takes up as much space as two normal guys, talking loud and fast, swaggering, hands waving everywhere. Danny's his backup, right? If you don't know where your backup is, you're less effective. Tactically. 

Right now, Danny's sitting around the corner, in the so-called waiting room. It's just an alcove off the hallway, really, with blue seats built into the walls like it's a bus station, and the air conditioning always on too strong. Steve hasn't quite worked up the nerve to round that corner. It's been a long day, and Danny might blame Steve for it.

When he does man up and make his move (before his offering of coffee goes cold), Steve can see that Danny's hands are flying too fast at the moment. He takes a critical look and notes that the bags under Danny's eyes have puffed all up, and he's slouched in the chair instead of perched on the edge or pacing around the waiting room. One foot lists over so far his ankle's leaning on the floor.

Chin's getting a pretty thorough rundown of the flaws inherent in the SWAT training program these HPD kids got. Chin isn't paying that much attention. He nods every once in a while, but his unfocused eyes show that mentally he's in Kono's room, willing those beeps to go on strong and regular.

Danny's exhausted anger is directly on target. The on-call SWAT team leader was fresh off her five-day certification and botched her deployment. If Steve had been there - hell, if anybody from 5-0 had been there - but they were already inside. (They didn't know where their backup was.) And now Kono's in the ICU with two of the SWAT team, and at least one HPD uniform is dead. Tomorrow Steve will know their names. Danny probably already does.

Danny erupts about anything and everything, but it's clear that he doesn't expect anyone to actually respond to the content of his rants. Most people cower away from his anger or brush away his frustration without ever really listening. Steve listens, though. After their first few arguments he stopped trying to reply to Danny's actual points, because interrupting him mid-flow isn't... possible, a lot of the time. But Steve has never stopped listening. Everybody else seems to think Danny just runs hot all the time - even Kono and Chin, who should know better. It drives Steve crazy. (He wonders sometimes if maybe Rachel can't see his temperature dip either, and that's part of their problem, but of course Steve will never know.) This anger is backed by ice instead of fire. 

Steve waves the black coffee towards Danny's face. When Danny's words slow and his hands start tracking the coffee, Steve knows it's safe to talk. The cup with the creamer and sugar goes to Chin.

"They said you can go in now," Steve tells Chin. "She's awake." Chin's out of the chair and around the corner before Steve gets to the end of the sentence.

That just leaves Steve and Danny. Steve stretches and takes the seat next to Danny.

"A whole room full of chairs, and you had to take the one right here?" Danny elbows him in the side. "You can't give a guy some space?"

Steve looks over at him and slouches further into the chair. Sitting down, they're the same height, just about.

"You picked the spot with the best sightlines on the hallway," Steve points out. "I'm not gonna sit with my back to the door."

"What, you think I can't watch your back tonight?" Danny is clearly bitching from sheer force of habit, but he flinches from the words out of his own mouth.

Steve leans over into him, debates for a split second, then pulls Danny bodily against him into a half-hug. Cuddle. Whatever. Fuck it, it's 2 am in a deserted hospital wing, he can do what he wants.

"I think tonight, you shouldn't have to," Steve says.

Danny grunts and wiggles a little, like he's pretending to try to get away, but somehow he just ends up more comfortable against Steve's side. Steve tucks his hand between Danny's side and his arm, heavy. Heat radiates through his shirt, warm and familiar against the crazy AC. The perfect temperature, as far as Steve's concerned.

**Author's Note:**

> Concrit welcome and encouraged!


End file.
